Monday, April 27, 2009

Wedding Cards

Indian wedding cards are the invitations sent to relatives, friends, colleagues informing them about an Indian wedding. Different types of cards, such as Hindu wedding cards, and Lord Ganesha wedding cards, are available. It is a common practise in Indian weddings to have two sets of cards printed. One from the groom's side, to announce the marriage to their near and dear ones. The other from the girl's side. This is in keeping with the traditions of a formal arranged marriage. The wedding cards are generally ornate and embellished, however nowadays a lot of minimalist styles have also flooded the market. Like in the western counterparts, it is the budget finally that decides the type of card ordered and used.
In a traditional Indian wedding, the formal invitation is the only card announcing a marriage to the community. There are no arrangements for save the date cards, RSVP cards or thank you cards. This is because a person may come with as many persons as he/ she wishes to in an Indian wedding.
Guest lists are not strict, No master lists or registrations are prepared or required and most people attending a wedding would not have even received a formal invitation. This is because having a 500+ guest count is a regular affair for most Indian middle class weddings and most people are hence invited by word of mouth.
A new trend has been to only give reception cards (specially in South Indian marriages) when there is no tradition of a baraat (a groom's procession). This is so as to delineate the ritual laden wedding ceremony proper to be attended by only the closest people; family and friends. Whereas the more opulent reception is attended by all.

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